District inception workshop held in Bhola

Tropical cyclones are no stranger to Bangladesh, leaving behind damage and destruction beyond repair. Bhola is one such vulnerable place where in 1970, 500,000 people (half a million) lost their lives in such a tropical cyclone. The Integrating Community-based Adaptation into Afforestation and Reforestation (ICBA-AR) Programme of UNDP Bangladesh works to benefit around 60,000 extreme poor people from five most vulnerable coastal districts. The aim of the project is to reduce climate vulnerabilities of local communities through participatory planning, community-based management and integration of climate resilient livelihoods. UNDP’s ICBA-AR also exchanged views on a new climate change Project with the coastal communities.

On 8th August 2017, the ICBA-AR Programme with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock selected 500 beneficiaries from three Upazilas of Bhola. Together, they selected 70 ha of land for plantation of diverse species for enrichment which would help create a protective and sustainable coastal green belt. The ICBA-AR Programme organized this opinion sharing workshop with relevant stakeholders and climate vulnerable communities. In addition, the project will also implement an innovative model - Forests-Fish-Fruits (FFF) in 13 hectares of land with active participation from the community.

Around 100 participants from District and Upazilla Government, civil societies, public representatives, NGOs and media attended the workshop.